Sandy Bay Roatan

Sandy Bay Roatan is the Exclusive Neighborhood of the West Bay Roatan Area.

Although Sandy Bay Roatan is in the western area of Roatan Island, and part of our West End Roatan geographical division, we choose to make a separate section on it because of its uniqueness and the differences with the other two communities: West End and West Bay Beach.

Sandy Bay is much more relaxed, less crowded and more exclusive. You might even say it is more cultural than the other two areas in our West Bay Roatan section.

The beaches in Sandy Bay are not the stereotype Caribbean White Sand Beaches. They tend to be more golden that white, they are still beautiful and much protected by the reef that surrounds the north shore of the Roatan Island. Access to the reef for diving; as well as to outstanding fishing areas are readily available, making both activities one of the main attractions to Sandy Bay Roatan.

There are unique lodges, outstanding dive shops and great restaurants. Many of the more iconic activities available in Roatan are actually in Sandy Bay. Such is the case with the Dolphin Encounter, the Roatan Museum and Carambola Botanical Gardens. This is where you will find charming boutique hotels on the beach in Roatan.

Sandy Bay Roatan has several of the most outstanding resorts on the island. They are all separate from eachother, giving each one of them a large stretch of beach or waterfront for the private enjoyment of their guests. Best of all, Sandy Bay Roatan is close to the bustling little community of West End. This allows you to visit easily and enjoy the different restaurants, beach bars, and local atmosphere with a more touristy flavor.

As for dining, what can I say? There are great restaurants and eateries in the area. Many of the tourists staying in West End travel to Sandy Bay for dinner because of their uniqueness and quality. Many of the restaurants preferred by expats living in Roatan are precisely right there in Sandy Bay Roatan!

One of the greatest bars and restaurants in Utila has ceased to exist. As a matter of fact, it pretty much died when its founder, Lee Odelein passed away a few months ago. Rehab Bar came to be under the direction of Lee. He was a friendly, charismatic fellow who knew how to run a restaurant bar.

Travel between Roatan and Utila used to be nuisance. With no regular service scheduled between the islands, you had to travel to La Ceiba and then backtrack to the other island. Fortunately, that is all part of the past.. The Utila Dream Ferry Service now operates daily between both islands.

This week I was in Utila. I needed to run some errands and hired one of the local “tuk tuks” or motorcycle taxis. These are three wheel motorcycles made in India. They are ideal for Utila, because they are narrow and fit well in the local pedestrian streets. So I flagged this taxi, negotiated the […]

I guess I am a born explorer. Perhaps not your Indiana Jones adventurer going way off the beaten path to follow a quest. But I am one to take a turn on the road and see where it leads. Today while in Roatan, I did just that, and went down a steep road following a sign that said “Ibagari”.

Since I live in La Ceiba, travel to Roatan is easy. I have two options: I can fly or take the ferry. When I first moved to Honduras, I could only fly, as there was still no ferry service available. Fortunately, we now have a state of the art ferry that is efficient, safe and fast!

Also known as the “Cave of the Glowing Skulls” these unique caves are near Catacamas. Catacamas is one of the two important cities in Olancho, Honduras. The find was unique, as the caves served as a ceremonial burial ground for an ancient civilization. Olancho is officially outside the Mesoamerican region.

Olancho is a department in Honduras. It is the largest department in the country and is even bigger than El Salvador. For most travelers, Olancho is way off the beaten track. I must confess, it had been a good 15 years since I visited Olancho. I took advantage of a trip to Tegucigalpa last week […]